Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) Director Matt Lepore, who was appointed in 2012, is stepping down effective March 1 to join private consulting firm Adamantine Energy, founded by former Colorado Oil and Gas Association chief Tisha Schuller. Julie Murphy, now assistant director for energy and minerals at the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, is taking the helm of COGCC. Gov. John Hickenlooper said Lepore had performed in “one of the most demanding jobs in state government…with style and substance that provided calm over an area often at the center of controversy…Under his leadership, Colorado developed regulations that have been used as models across the country.” Murphy has worked on the state’s policy, legal and technical issues and previously managed regulatory affairs for the COGCC. She holds a wildlife degree from Kansas State University, a master’s degree in environmental resources management from the University of South Carolina-Columbia and a law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law.